Can You Negotiate With God?

Virtually everyone has, from time to time, asked their god for something. Such requests are usually in the form of an offer such as, “God, if you will only make the cute boy in algebra like me, I promise to start going to church”.

It does not seem to matter if the requester is a follower of an organized religion, an atheist or an agnostic. This article is not about the existence of God or not. It is about human nature. When there is a special need we all seem to feel the need to reach out to a supreme entity for help.

What is interesting is that usually we promise to do something we already know, intuitively, that we should do. The reality is that when we make such requests we are really bargaining with ourselves; our personal god (lowercase intended). So, when we negotiate with our personal god, we are really making a promise to ourselves to correct a suspect behavior.

Good negotiators assess their performance and try to improve. There is no reason not to do this in our personal lives. How we behave when arguing with others is a key factor in getting along with them.

Do you frequently struggle to get along with family members, friends or co-workers? Reflect on why this is happening. Consider what others have said about how you were acting or behaving.

If you think it might it be your behavior that is triggering or aggravating these arguments, you might want to try changing the way you relate to others to promote better, healthier relationships with those you care about.